Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-09-09
THE CAUGHNAwAGAs SHIP CANAL.
The Shortest and Best Route from Chi
cago to the Seaboard.
deter from Hon. II. G. Burlcirh of New
OrkD

dieter from Hon. IL. u. BuflclEn Oh new
York;
To the Editor of the Troy Budget-Dear
Sir-Referring to your article in the Bud
get of August Nth in regard to the resolu-
tons offered by me at the canal convention
at Rochester, | will say that the true route
to construct ship canal to connect the
great lakes with the Hudson river and New
York, is the Champlain route through the
Champlain canal. In the first place there
is no question as to the supply of water, the
Hudson river and the reservoirs of the Adir
ondacks furnishing an inexhaustible supply
In the second place, the distance from
| Lake Champain to Troy is 90 miles, of which
% would be canal, and 40 mile slack water
navigation.
The very able report of the select commit
tee appointed by the United State Senate to
ascertain the best route to the sea board,
Senator Window being the chairman and
| Roscoe Conkling, the ablest Roman of them
| all, being member speaks in the highest
terms of this route
In that report il is proposed that the
canal section of this route should have
$50 feet breadth at the surface, 100
feet at the bottom and depth of Is
feet; this would admit vessels carry
ing 1900 tons and having a capacity
of 40, 900 to 45, GOO bushels of grain from
the upper lakes to New York city, and
would cost from -, 600, 600 to -. OOO, 600
The distance to he built by the Canadian
government would he the Caughnawaga
canal, % miles in length. at a cost of three
millions, from the st. Lawrence to the
Richeleu river; the distance then from
Chicago to New York city would be 1914
miles, of which 121 miles would be by
canal, 40 miles slack water, and 1883 lake
and river navigation. The estimated
time required by the Champan route to
transport grain from Chicago to New York
would he nine and three quarters days or
to Albany and Troy for the immense traffic
that goes east eight and onc-half days
Is there any question whatever but
what the national government should build
this canal, as national matter, outside of
the vast commercial interests of the West
and of New York so that in case of any
difficulty with Canada, gun-boats could be
placed upon Lake Champlain through this
ship canal in the brief period of 2i hours;
In any event would it not be well to have
the national government make n survey and
decide which is the best route from the
great lakes to the sea- In case of this exam
nation there would b. no question what
ever which route would be determined
upon, ms by the way of the Champlain route
there is an inexhaustible supply of water,
whereas, by the Erie there is no sufficient
water to maintain a ship canal nor can it
be obtained. By the Champlain route there
is 90 miles to construct, by the Erie there
is 81
This improvement outside of national
matters would lead to further develop
ment of the vast mineral deposits on the
shores of Lake Champlain, and even with
their present methods of transportation their
capacity is over IA million of tons. The con
sumption of iron ore in the United States in
the year 1856 was about 8, 900, 600 of tons
and with the improved water transportation
the Lake Chamlan region could furnish
% per cent of this immense tonnage. We
hardly think that the people of the State,
or even of your city, appreciate the value of
the present Champlain canal to the COM
merce of the State. The tonnage passing
through the Whitehall narrows, which is
the entrance to the Champlain canal in the
year 1880, going north and south, was l.,
10S, 200 tons.
We are far behind any nation in Europe,
or even in Canada in internal improve
mments, The British government in the
last five years has expended $50, 000,
600 in India on canals and railroads to
transport uHclI gram cncdIhS 10 II SnlpplnS
point, this grain coming into competition
with American grain. They are also sur
veying and building in the benighted region
of Burmah 5000 miles of railroad Sixty
millions of dollars is also being expended
on improvements by British capitalists at
Buenos Ayres, and in lines of railroad into
the interior of the Argentine confederation
Twenty thousand tons of freight are receiv-
ed and shipped ON British bottom at the
port of Beunos Ayros daily, and not a sin
gle ton ON an American ship.
Would it not be broader aud more patri-
otto for the American people, instead of
haggling about the improvement of the
canals of the Empire State to take wiser
view and improve the water way to the
West to their most extent? Have the nation
al government grant subsidies for line of
steamers to Rio de Janerio and Bucnos Ayres'
Reduce our excessive revenues by taking
the tax off from sugar, even if we have tC
give bounty to Louisiana for all she
raises; by taking the tax off from to
bacco, which will make a reduction OF
the revenues of $50, 600, 900 and the laborer
. and the farmer will get the benefit of most
of it? Protect everything that we manu-
facture subsdize ships if necessary the
sBme as other governments do, and strike
out for the commerce of the world.
Sincerely yours,
II. G.. BURLEIGH.